Cuffed
by TStabler
Summary: While packing and cleaning out her apartment, Olivia finds a pair of her handcuffs. She remembers moments in her life that those cuffs had been a part of, and decides to put them to use, in her apartment, one last time. E/O One-Shot


**A/N: A one-shot, at the suggestion, or challenge really, of my friend Dana, who when I asked for a new story idea, simply said, "Handcuffs."**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns this story.**

The black plastic bag was getting heavy, but she still had so much to throw out. She opened a white cardboard container, gave the contents a sniff, made a face, and chucked it into the bag. "God, how many cartons of chicken and broccoli did I have in here?" she asked.

"Twelve," a man's voice said, flipping over her couch cushions.

"Leave it to you to count," she said. "How did you even know that?"

The man chuckled. "I've been here, helping you pack up, for ten days, right? There were two in there when I got here, and you've ordered it, never finishing it, every night since then. That makes twelve."

"Jesus, Elliot," she said, shaking her head. "You pay more attention to me and my life than you should."

"I know, Olivia," Elliot, the man in the living room said. "That's why I got divorced, remember?" he asked, half-joking, half-serious. "Ya know, you have so much crap under these cushions," he said. He flipped over the last cushion, and his eyes widened. He smirked, picking up the shiny, silver, connected bracelets. "Hey, Liv?" he called.

Olivia turned around. "Yeah?" she returned. Her own eyes widened slightly, and darkened. She saw the handcuffs dangling from her partner's fingers, and the memories came flooding back to her.

October 9, Nine Years Ago

"Stay down," Olivia, in her rookie blues, yelled at the man underneath her. She had just tackled him after a seven block foot-chase. She yanked on his right arm, he squealed in pain, and she laughed. "You," she said, panting. "Are under arrest," she finished, slapping the handcuffs that she'd only had for a week onto his wrists. She pulled him up by the links in the cuffs and turned, only to be met by her captain.

"That was one hell of a collar, kid," the suited man told her. "Your first?"

"Yes, Sir," Olivia replied, giving a nod. Her brown eyes shone with pride from under her police-officer's hat.

The captain smirked. "You're gonna be just fine, kid," he told her. "What is your name?"

"Benson, Sir," Olivia said, still holding onto the man in her cuffs. "Olivia Benson."

The captain nodded and smiled, then slapped her on the shoulder, "Well, Benson, what are you waiting for? Take him in."

March 4th, Seven Years Ago

"Detective Benson," Captain Donald Cragen began, leading her through the hallway. "This unit is not as high-tech and functional as you're used to, I'm afraid. We use a lot more paper and ink than other precincts. Budget cuts and no funding, since we're a volunteer squad, ya know?"

"I know, Captain," Olivia said. "That's not a problem."

Cragen led her into the Special Victim's Unit squadroom and pointed. "Your desk," he said. "And your partner. Detective Elliot Stabler," he said with another point.

Elliot choked on the coffee he was trying to drink as he stood up. "What?" he asked, looking her up and down. "She…she's mine? My partner, I mean?" he babbled, looking at Olivia as if she was a priceless work of art. She was.

"Yeah," Cragen said. "Try not scare this one off, would ya? I have a conference call to make," he said. "Stabler, show Benson around."

Elliot nodded, and then looked at Olivia. "Hey," he said with a speeding pulse, holding out his hand. "Elliot."

"Nice to meet you," Olivia said, her own pulse racing. "Olivia," she told him.

"Oh, uh, I guess we can start up..." Elliot paused, noticing something glimmer on the side of her hip. "What's that?" he asked, pointing.

"Huh?" Olivia asked, following his gaze. "Oh, uh, these pants zip up from the side." She moved her jacket and shrugged. "I was in a rush to get ready, and I didn't realize the damned thing was broken. I improvised."

Elliot chuckled. "Clipping them to your belt with your cuffs," he said. "Smart."

"Yeah," Olivia said. "Until I have to cuff a perp," she added, following Elliot up the stairs. "Then what am I supposed to do with my pants?" she asked with a laugh.

"Take 'em off," Elliot said with a shrug. "You'd get the asshole to confess in a heartbeat," he said with a gleam in his eyes. Olivia turned to look at him, and she gave him a glare that made him gulp.

"I think," Olivia said, narrowing her eyes and smirking at him, "That this is the start of a beautiful friendship, Stabler." She winked at him then turned to look into the nearest room.

Elliot smirked, too. "Yeah, Benson," he said. "I think it is."

January 13th, Five Years Ago

Olivia walked into the squadroom and instantly saw the white box on her desk. "Okay," she said with an eye-roll. "What is this?" she asked whoever was listening, holding up the box. "I told you guys not to get me anything."

"Don't look at us," Fin said, gesturing to him and Munch, his partner. "That was all Stabler."

"Just throw me under the bus, guys," Elliot said, rolling his eyes. "Thanks."

The other two detectives laughed as Olivia glared at him. "El, what did you do?" she asked.

"Just open it," Elliot said. He watched as she lifted the top of the box and gasped.

Olivia looked at it, stunned. "Oh, Elliot! It's…beautiful," she cried.

Elliot stood up, walked over to her, and lifted the chain out of the box. "Before you ask, yes, they're real diamonds. No, I'm not taking it back, and yes, the handcuffs actually open. They make the clasp, Liv. That's how you get it on and off." He clicked the right cuff, which opened, and the left one fell out of it. He slid it gently around her neck, clasping the cuffs together again. He was nervous, being so close to her chest, he had to swallow hard. "It looks good with your other charm," he said. "I saw this and I had to get it. I mean, it's you. Tough and dangerous, but so delicate and incredibly beautiful."

Olivia looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "Thank you," she said as her fingers traced over the diamond-encrusted cuffs.

Elliot smiled at her, kissed her cheek, and said, "Happy Birthday, Liv."

Olivia sniffled, shaking away the urge to cry. "Why…I mean, El, this is way too…"

"I love you, Benson," Elliot whispered to her, a serious yet sad look in his eyes.

Olivia smiled at him. Her eyes twinkled as she whispered, "Right back atcha, Stabler."

October 20th, Four Years Ago

"Too tight?" Olivia asked, having just finished cuffing Elliot's hands to the headboard.

"A little," Elliot said, gulping. The blindfold was one thing, but the cuffs made him nervous. He felt Olivia's lips brush over his, lightly, and he both heard and felt her whisper, "Good."

Olivia raked her nails down his chest, making him moan, and she chuckled. "You're getting one hell of a present, aren't you, Birthday Boy?"

Elliot nodded vigorously. "Yeah, I am," he said. "Are you sure you wanna do this, though?" he asked, his voice cracking. Olivia's hands were moving lower, her nails skimming the skin that was perilously close to his painfully hard shaft. "This...this is...serious, Liv."

Olivia's answer was a smooth run of the nails on her left hand up and down his rigid member. Her right hand toyed with the silver and diamond cuffs that were still around her neck. "It's one night, El," she said, still teasing him, making him weak. "Aren't we entitled to one night of tossing the rule book out the damned window and doing something crazy?"

"This is beyond crazy, Liv," Elliot groaned, his head thrashing to his left. "Fucking hell, that feels so good," he grunted. And behind the blindfold, he saw stars, fireworks, and nuclear explosions. He cursed and yelled her name as he felt her sliding over him, onto him. "Take the blindfold off," he yelled.

Olivia ripped the black material off of his eyes, and she had a look of pain, pleasure, and some kind of relief on her face as she looked into his eyes.

"Liv," Elliot moaned, bucking his hips into her as she moved her own body against his. "God, Liv, baby, please...uncuff me," he begged. "I can't do this without touching you...waited too damn long for this..." he paused, his eyes squeezing his eyes shut.

Olivia moaned his name, bending forward, as she ran her hands up his arms, slowly turning the tiny key that was still lodged in the lock of the cuffs.

Once free, Elliot leaned up a bit, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her with everything he had. Every emotion from the past four years was passed between them, shared. "Baby," Elliot grunted against her lips. "One night my ass," he told her, getting a grip on her and flipping her over. He started thrusting into her faster, harder, kissing her as if it was the first and last time he would ever do it. He pulled away and saw her face, contorted in pleasure, and he whispered, "I love you."

"I love you, too, El," Olivia moaned, her back arching. She sat up, pulling him close, and kissed him as she groaned a lust-filled, "Happy Birthday, baby," into his mouth.

December 14, Two Years Ago.

"Is that it?" Elliot asked, glaring at the blonde in front of him. "We're not gonna yell? Scream? Hit each other? Throw things?"

Kathy, his wife, shook her head. "We can't," she said. "We're not upset about this, Elliot. You and I hid things from each other for years. I can't blame you for what you did because I was doing the same thing. We both...we both fell in love with other people, and we both stayed together anyway because it was the right thing to do, but we ended up hurting a lot of people. They don't need to hurt anymore, and neither do we. Signing these was the right thing to do. Especially now."

Elliot nodded. "Yeah," he said. "Well, I mean, you're situation is a bit harder to deal with than mine."

"I guess," Kathy said. "I'm happy though. With Clark and this baby, Elliot, I'm gonna be happy."

"But, Liv," Elliot said, shaking his head. "I don't think she'll ever forgive me," he sighed.

Kathy shrugged. "You promised her you'd leave me," she said. "You swore that she wouldn't be the other woman, and she was. Or rather, I was. For years. Just tell her it's finally over and she'll believe you. She loves you. Give her some credit." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a pair of silver handcuffs. "I found these," she said. "In the bedroom. Are they yours or hers?"

Elliot took them and chuckled. "Hers," he said. "We, uh, always use hers."

Kathy laughed. "Yeah, Clark likes to wear his stethoscope in bed," she said. "At least you can have some fun with the cuffs. What the hell am I supposed to do with a stethoscope?"

"Kathy, are we really sitting here talking about our affairs?" Elliot asked, laughing.

"Yes," Kathy said, smiling. "We are. Friends talk about their lives with each other, Elliot. And face it, that's all we have been for a very long time. Just friends." She patted his knee and said, "You go save your relationship, I'll pack your things. I'll call the realtor in the morning."

Elliot looked at her and asked, "Why?"

"We have to sell the house," Kathy said. "Split the money. It's in the pre-nup," she told him.

"You memorized our pre-nup?" Elliot asked. "Your father had that drawn up when we were seventeen, Kathy. I never even read it."

Kathy laughed. "I whipped that sucker out and studied it the minute you introduced me to Olivia," she said. She jerked her head toward the door. "Go get her, Elliot," she said. "Be happy."

Elliot slipped Olivia's cuffs into his pocket and nodded. He kissed Kathy on the cheek and left, hoping Olivia would take him back, now that she was the only woman in his life.

April 7, Ten Days Ago

"What the hell happened in here?" Olivia yelled over the sound of rushing water. She dropped the bag of Chinese food and ran into the kitchen, where her boyfriend was fighting with the faucet. He was handcuffed to it.

"Dickie wanted to show me a magic trick," Elliot said, glaring at his twelve year old son.

"I dropped the key into the sink," Dickie yelled. "It went down the drain, and Dad thought he could just pull the faucet off and get unstuck that way, but..."

Elliot interrupted. "But I was wrong, and now I've got Old Faithful erupting in my kitchen, and all over me!"

Olivia tried not to laugh. "It's just water, baby, calm down," she said, getting wet herself as the water sprayed over them. She reached into her pocket, found her keys to her own cuffs, and used them to uncuff Elliot. "There ya go, all better," she said.

"Thanks," Elliot said. He dropped to his knees and opened the doors to the cabinet under the sink. He crawled into the space and turned a few knobs, the water shut off, and he knelt up, looking at Olivia.

"Did you find the key?" Olivia asked.

"No," Elliot said. He ran a hand down his face, took a deep breath, and said, "You already had the key."

Olivia furrowed her brow. "Yeah, but you said that your key..."

"The key to my heart," Elliot interrupted. He held a diamond ring between his thumb and forefinger as he knelt in front of her. "Liv, will you marry me?" he asked.

Olivia froze. She stood, staring down at him, silent.

Dickie, his arms folded, looked at Olivia. "He went through a lot of trouble, Liv. He's serious."

Olivia had tears in her eyes as she chuckled and said, "This was a set up, just so you could..." she paused, wiped under her eyes, and said, "Yes."

"Really?" Elliot asked, standing.

"Yes," Olivia said, nodding with a sniffle. "Really," she said.

Elliot threw his arms around her, squeezing tight, then said, "I love you, baby."

April 17th, Today

Olivia let go of the garbage bag, then walked over to him, tugging lightly on the cuffs. "We could, uh, finish packing later," she said. "It's the last night I'm gonna spend in this apartment." She tugged on the cuffs, and he wasn't letting go, leading him through the maze of cardboard boxes and into the bedroom. "I've been a bad girl, Detective," she said, seductively. "I think you need to cuff me," she told him, yanking hard on the cuffs, pulling him toward her. "Read me my rights," she whispered.

Elliot chuckled and pushed her down onto the bed. He crawled over her, pulling the shirt she wore off of her. He took her bra off and skimmed his fingers over her body, tugging lightly on her nipples. He grabed her hands, lifting her arms over her head, and he looped the cuffs through her iron headboard and squeezed them around her wrists. "It's gonna be a long night," he whispered, brushing his lips over hers. He unzipped her jeans, slipped them down and threw them off to the side. He slid back up her body and kissed her, then looked at her neck. He saw the diamond cuffs shining in the light and he smiled. "I love you, Benson," he said, pulling his shirt over his head.

Olivia, twisting her cuffed wrists in anticipation, looked up at him and smiled. "Right back atcha, Stabler," she said. Then they kissed, making Olivia's last night in her apartment one that she would never forget.

**A/N: So, that's what you get from the word, "Handcuffs." It was fun. Any other 'one-word-challenges' for me? =D Leave a review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


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